The fatality was not a freshman, but a female cook who died when undergraduates misdirected chlorine gas into the kitchen as part of a hazing prank. He suffered an intestine rupture and died five days later of peritonitis. He was rendered unconscious, but the injury was not thought to be serious at the time. He ran into a sharp carriage pole, injuring himself. He was told to run and did so at top speed. Ī pledge was led blindfolded through the street during his fraternity initiation towards Moriarty's Cafe, a popular student hang-out. He was punched in the kidneys severely and died several days later. He was made to run through a gauntlet of schoolmates in which they punched him with their fists. Unknown public school in Hazleton, Pennsylvania Two members who were guiding him also fell, but survived. He died after falling into a gorge while blindfolded. Leggett was brought out into the woods at night as part of an initiation ceremony. He eventually died from this illness and Amherst president Edward Hitchcock attributed the death to hazing rituals, which were referred to as "freshman visitation". Torrance left school after suffering from a severe illness that he attributed to upperclassmen soaking his sheets. Īccording to family history records, Groves died in a hazing incident. Benjamin Franklin, a member of the group, appeared as a witness for the prosecution. He died within days, and Jones was found guilty for manslaughter and branded.
ġ8th and 19th century Date of deathĭuring a mock initiation, flaming liquid was thrown on him by Masons led by Evan Jones. Alcohol poisoning is the biggest cause of death. According to Franklin College journalism professor Hank Nuwer, over 200 university hazing deaths have occurred since 1838, with 40 deaths between 20 alone. There has been at least one university hazing death each year from 1969 to 2017. Although hazing is often associated with the activities that take place as a prerequisite for joining a group, it can also include activities that take place as an established member, such as the 2011 death of fraternity brother George Desdunes. Incidents involving criminal or civil proceedings that did not find a definite link with hazing may still be included if they meet this criterion.Īccording to the National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention at the University of Maine, hazing is defined as "any activity expected of someone joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses or endangers them, regardless of a person's willingness to participate".
Inclusion in this list requires that the incident was described by the media as a hazing-related death. An exact list is not available because there is no central system for tracking hazing deaths, and the role of hazing in some deaths is subject to disagreement.
This is a list of hazing deaths in the United States. The other students sent him to a railroad bridge, which they believed was not in use however, an unscheduled train arrived, and Pierson was killed. In 1905, Stuart Pierson was being initiated into Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, at Kenyon College.